VFK History of Nuts Quest
Description There is abundant evidence that people have gathered and harvested nuts from ancient times. Stones designed to crack open hard nuts have been found all over Europe and the US, indicating that nuts have been an important part of people's diet since the beginning of history. On today's quest, we are going to explore the diverse history of nuts! Prizes Questions 1. Early peoples would put nuts on a rock with a hollowed depression, then pound the nuts with another rock called a "hammer stone." They ate the shelled nuts as they were, or ground them into nut flour or nut butter. Early Americans used nuts that grew in the surrounding forests. Which of the following was not a nut gathered from trees in the North American forests? * Cashews * Walnuts * Beech Nuts * Chestnuts 2. Walnuts were popular with the ancient Romans who introduced them to many European countries. They used them for food, medicine, dye and oil for lamps. The English used walnuts as a common trade item in the Mediterranean which originated the name of "English Walnut." Black and White walnuts are native to North America. Go to Ned Kelly's Hideout in Australia and say: "Early colonial settlers brought the English walnut!" 3. Pecan trees are native to North America and have been used as food since ancient times. Remains of pecans in archaeological digs have been found dating back 8,000 years. Pecans are a distant relative to the walnut which you can tell by the nut shape. A warm temperate climate is best for pecans, and along the river banks of the Mississippi valley they find perfect conditions. What honor do they have among orchard trees in the US? * They produce the most nuts per tree * They take the least amount of water * They are the largest orchard tree * They only produce a crop every four years 4. The buttery-tasting macadamia nut has the distinction of being native to the forests of Queensland, Australia. The nut was discovered by Europeans in the late 1800's and named after John MacAdam, the Australian Secretary of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria. The Australian Aborigines already knew of the macadamia nut trees, and every year in winter they gathered where the trees were abundant to feast on the nuts. Go to Balta Street in Victorian Age and say: "The shells are difficult to open!" 5. One of the oldest cultivated foods is the almond. They are members of the rose family and are closely related to the plum, cherry and peach. They have been a cultivated crop for thousands of years. Botanists do not consider the almond a true nut. What are they? * A pome * A seed * A berry * A drupe 6. Another ancient nut is the hazelnut or filbert. The name filbert is considered by growers of the nut to be the correct name for the nut and tree. Filbert is thought to be French and was introduced by early French settlers. However, hazelnut, an English name, is the more popular name for marketing purposes. The name filbert has also been attributed to St. Philibert on whose day the nuts are said to ripen. Go to King Arthur's Round Table in Medieval Age, and say: "In ancient times they were used to heal." 7. Cashews are native to Brazil. The cashew is somewhat unusual in that it grows off a "cashew apple." The apple is an edible fruit that can be made into cashew juice. To prepare cashew nuts for eating, the outer shell and oil are roasted off, then the nut is cooked again to remove the inner shell. Why are cashews only sold shelled? * The shells rot if they are left on the cashew * There is a caustic oil between the inner and outer shell * The shells are too hard to crack * The shells contain a staining dye 8. Brazil nuts are native to South America and grow in the Amazon basin. The Brazil nuts are actually sections of a larger seed pod and 15-30 of the nuts are arranged inside the pod like sections of an orange. A single pod can weight up to 6 pounds. The trees need special types of bees to pollinate them. Go to the Galactic Trading Post in Space Age, and say: "Beware of any falling pod!" 9. Pistachios have been considered to be a delicacy since ancient times. The trees require long, dry, hot summers for the fruit to mature and they are tolerant of salty soil and drought conditions. At the same time, they need to have cold weather for at least one thousand hours in the winter. Pistachio trees are "dioecious". What does this mean? * They are classified as cacti * They don't use their leaves in the winter * There are separate male and female trees * They are harvested every third year 10. Probably one of the most widely consumed nuts in the US, the peanut, is not a nut at all, but a legume. The peanut plant fruits grow quickly. The flower forms above ground then wilts, then the stem bends over and drills down into the ground where the seeds develop. When ripe, the peanut is dug up like a potato. Go to the back of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and say: "They make great sandwiches!" Answers 1. Cashews 2. Go to Ned Kelly's Hideout in Australia and say: "Early colonial settlers brought the English walnut!" 3. They are the largest orchard tree 4. Go to Corner of Balta Street in Victorian Age and say: "The shells are difficult to open!" 5. A drupe 6. Go to King Arthur's Round Table in Medieval Age, and say: "In ancient times they were used to heal." 7. There is a caustic oil between the inner and outer shell 8. Go to the Galactic Trading Post in Space Age, and say: "Beware of any falling pod!" 9. There are separate male and female trees 10. Go to the back of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and say: "They make great sandwiches!" Category:Quests